Friday Fives -- A World Away

1.  Of course this would have to be Harry Potter, because -- it's Harry Potter.  I mean, you guys know me well enough to know OF COURSE I want to live in the magical world.  :D

2.  Perhaps the world of Once Upon A Marigold would be fun -- I mean, as long as I wasn't the one on the evil witch's bad side.  


3.  For the most part, I would not want to live in the worlds Juliette Marillier creates (even though they rank among my all-time favorites).  Let's face it, they're kinda evil.  Except maybe Wildwood Dancing...which that's really all about the choices you make.  Sorta.  No?  Well...still...I can't have a list without one of her books at least.  


4.  I'm realizing most of the books I read are either set in the real world or in REALLY SCARY other worlds.  Hmm...


5.  Dr. Seuss.  Maybe I could live in Oh the Places You'll Go...




Can you guys name five book worlds you'd like to live in?

Friday Fives -- I had strange taste

Admittedly, I had wide-ranging (and somewhat strange) reading tastes as a kid.  (We're gonna go with stuff I read in elementary school here.)  Want proof?  Here you go:

1.  One Last Wish (series) by Lurlene McDaniel -- I read every one of these books, plus anything else she published.  I think I was eight when her first book landed in my hands (about a year after we lost my sister) and seeing as her books are about dealing with death, I was hooked.  For total honesty -- I still have them all tucked neatly in a trunk in storage. 

2.  The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner -- This is another one of those I loved so much I still have the book at home.  


3.  Black Beauty by Anna Sewell -- How many times did I read this book?  I could never count them all.


4.  David Copperfield by Charles Dickens -- My mom bought me all the illustrated classics by the time I was in 3rd grade.  I loved them all.


5.  Rudolph and Me (I don't know who wrote the story though) -- This was a book my grandmother had made for my cousin and me (one each, of course), where we were the main characters in this tale of us setting off with Rudolph to save Santa and Christmas.  I thought it was THE most awesome thing on the planet to have my name in a book.  :)


What about you guys?  What were your favorite childhood books?

Friday Fives -- Banned Favorites

As it turns out, I love quite a few banned books.  (And guys, my High School obviously didn't have a copy of this list, because every book we read in four years worth of Lit Honors is on it. lol) Do any of mine make your top five list?

1.  Harry Potter -- all of them. Of course.  You didn't expect anything else in this spot did you?  ;)

2.  1984 by George Orwell -- one of those books I was forced to read in High School and wound up LOVING.  Who knew that was possible?

3. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

4.  Farenheight 451 by Ray Bradbury -- Another school book I *gasp* enjoyed.

5.  Goosebumps by R.L. Stine -- I can't believe this series makes the list.  My sister and I used to devour these books like nobody's business!


There you have it, my list of astonishment as I realized pretty much all of my favorite books growing up were on the banned list.

Friday Fives (17) - Imagining

*Was told the pics weren't working, so lets give this another go.*  This week, my buddies over at Paper Hangover are talking about:

So, here are my five (in no particular order):

This one inspired me to completely rewrite the beginning of my WIP (and it's much better for it!):

Whenever I need a kick in the inspiration to write some romance, this is the image I turn to:

 

This is my desktop background, and never fails to help me focus on the big picture.

 

My brother.  He's my constant inspiration to go for my dreams because life is too short to waste.

 

And last, but not least, the lady who gave me the courage to try: Jo Rowling.

What images inspire your writing?

Friday Fives (16) - Line Up!

I didn't think to do these at home last night (woops) so I'm going from my Nook library and what I can find online. Hope I don't screw any of them up.  Anyway, all of them have something in common -- they make you immediately curious about the situation and are full of voice.

1) From THE GODDESS TEST - "I spent my eighteenth birthday driving from New York City to Eden, Michigan, so my mother could die in the town where she was born." 

2) From DELIRIUM - "It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure."

3) From IF I STAY - "Everyone thinks it was because of the snow."

4) From THE HUNGER GAMES - "When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold."

5) From HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (of course) - "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."

What about you, what are your favorites?

Friday Fives -- Winner, winner!

Time to join the gang over at Paper Hangover for another Friday Fives!  This week's topic:

 

1) WriteOnCon is having a spectacular contest right now -- you could win $1000 and consideration for representation by Catherine Drayton of Inkwell Management!

2) Writer's Digest is having both a short story and poetry competition right now.

And that's all I know about, so I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to offer!

Have you heard of any other contests?

Friday Fives -- Hangouts

It's that time again over on Paper Hangover...

1) Blogs - Does that count as a writing community?  I think so.  I've met most of my writing friends and beta readers through my blog.  *waves*  <3 you guys!

2) YALitChat - I've been a part of YALitChat for a long time now, and I've always found great support over on those boards.  I also met my fab critique partner over there.  :D

3) Absolute Write - An invaluable depth of information on every aspect of writing can be found in these forums.

4) Query Tracker - Between the comments on the individual agent's pages and the forum where everything from critiques to success stories are shared, you can learn a lot about agents, writing, and the publishing process.  I probably spend way to much time there actually.  lol

5) I don't actually have a fifth.  Hmm...drawing a blank.  I know I'm forgetting something.

What are your favorite writing communities?

Friday Fives -- Look it up!

This week on Paper Hangover our topic is...

1)  Google -- of course.  I Google for pictures, for any quick information I need, etc.  I'm sure everyone uses Google.  ;)

2)  The book store.  -- Ever walked into a book store and asked one of the booksellers something like, "I'm looking for information on life in the early 1900's, can you point me in the right direction?"  I have.  And they always help.

3)  Facebook --  I know that may sound weird, but here's the thing: I've got a very wide range of friends on my Facebook, from lawyers to pharmacists to mechanics to English teachers.  So, generally speaking, I can post a question and have an answer by the end of the day from someone who knows what they're talking about.

4)  Wikipedia -- Man, I could get lost on that site for hours.  There's so much interesting stuff to be discovered!

5)  Coffee -- What?  Coffee doesn't count as a resource?  But...  But I'd die without my coffee!  Plus, with a cup of coffee in my hand is when I do my best brainstorming.  :)

Friday Fives -- It was a dark and stormy night...

 

Ah, cliches.  Fun aren't they?  These little landmines are super easy to fall into, but they can create quite a mess to be cleaned up.  I don't even know if everyone would consider these cliches really, but hey, it's my list so I'll make it what I want.  :P

1) Opening with a dream.  -  Er... Been there, done that.  I think if done right, this can be a powerful beginning to a novel.

2) The prologue -  They get a bad rap, but I will hold to the fact that they can also significantly impact a novel in a good way.

3) The shy girl who takes a stand and turns her life around and winds up in all-out butt kicking awesomeness.

4) The bad boy.  I will always love the bad boy.

5) Fairy tales -  I don't care how many fairy tales are written or rewritten, loved or hated, my heart belongs to that happily ever after.

What are your favorites?

Tweet Me!

Jump over to Paper Hangover and join in on the fun!

I'm about to do some serious pimping.  But, hey, this subject is begging for a tongue-in-cheek post. Please excuse me while I fulfill that obligation.  ;)

1)  ME!  Duh.  If you're not following me on Twitter, well, why not?!  @hddodson  Go.  Now.  I'll wait...

2)  My buddy, Susan.  @stdennard  She's fabulous and talented and has a book coming out next Summer that's gonna knock your socks off.

3)  Beta readers extraordinaire -  @fussymonkey2  @aliciagregoire and @KO_InsectWrtr

4)  @MeredithMcP  Because she's super awesome and fun to talk to.

and last, but most definitely not least 5)  @keekeehockaday and @pamharriswrites  Who are two very talented and very sweet ladies.

HA.  I'm pimpin' all my friends out.  Well, all of the ones that I could cram into a short list of 5 anyway.  ;)  There are more!  Trust me, there are more.  :P

Friday Fives in the Summer Sun

Visit Paper Hangover to join in!

Summer is my favorite time of year, and not just because of all the great books that come out.  But that totally plays a big role.  I'm going to take this prompt as a reason to recommend you some of my all-time favorite summer reads!




1)  Jemima J by Jane Green -- Now, this is not a YA book, but it's one that I've read several times and always enjoy.  Lots of humor, and actually quite empowering.





2)  You Wish by Mandy Hubbard would make an excellent summer read.  Romance, humor, a teen learning about life, and a spark of the fantastical -- it doesn't get much better.





3)  Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris -- Guys, I just adore this book.  Again, humor, romance, fantasy -- total summer read WIN.




4)  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins -- If you haven't read it yet...well, why not?  Make sure it's on the top of your summer reading list!






5)  The Princess Bride by William Goldman -- Nobody's reading list will ever be complete until they've read this one.




What do you think, lovelies?  What are your five best summer reads?

Friday Fives -- Excuse Me!

This week's topic on Paper Hangover is:

 

1)  I don't have time -- Nobody has time these days.  If I want to do this, I'll make time.

2)  I'm too tired -- Sometimes, it's legit to be too tired, but most of the time I use it as an excuse to cop out of working on the WIP, and it must stop.

3) Research is boring -- And?  Shut up and do it anyway.

4) I don't like my project enough -- So come up with another one.  Nobody said I have to write that project but me. 

5) It's too hard -- It only becomes too hard when I give up, and that's not going to happen. 

Friday Fives -- Wait, what was I doing?

It's time for another Friday Five with my buddies over at Paper Hangover!

This week's topic:

 

1) EMAIL - Dude, I'm in my email all. the. time.  I swear a minute must not go by that I don't think, "I need to check my email."  Waaaay too much wasted time there.  lol

2) BLOGS - Writing blogs, reading blogs, commenting on blogs -- I think the hours spent doing this could probably write my next novel.  lol  But I LOVE reading everyone's blogs!  It's not a bad thing, just distracting.  :P

3) TWITTER - I really try not to be on twitter too much, but man, one trip to browse everyone's updates can last a freaking hour if I don't check myself.  And if it's a busy day I can get sucked in for waaaay longer than that.  

4) EMAIL - Yes, I spend so much time in email it needs to count twice.  I mean, I do have two accounts anyway -- one for writing and a personal one.  

5) FACEBOOK - I'm not a big Facebook user (and only use it for personal stuff), but when I do go to browse status updates and see what my friends are up to, I'll spend forever looking through all their pictures of their kids and everything else.  HUGE time suck.

What about you?  What are your five internet distractions?

Friday Fives -- Revise Me!

Every Friday, the Paper Hangover crew gives a prompt for Friday Fives.  Join in and link up on their post to see what everyone says!

This week's topic:

I'm going with revising, because they definitely do not require the same things.  :D

1.)  My printed manuscript -- I cannot do serious revisions without a hard copy of my MS.

2.)  Colored pens -- I use a different color pen for different types of comments.

3.)  Colored post-it flags -- They coordinate with my colored pens.  ;)  It's a system.

4.)  Sweet tarts -- Just because they're delicious.

5.)  Quiet -- When I write, I do better around noise.  I like to write in restaurants particularly because of the snatches of conversation, gestures, and general atmosphere seem to seep into my writing, making it richer.  But when I revise I need my full attention focused on the task at hand.

What about you?  What do you need when revising?

Friday Fives -- The Wise Ones

Every Friday, the Paper Hangover crew gives a prompt for friday Fives.  Join in and link up on their post to see what everyone says!

This week's topic: FIVE pieces of useful advice you have received as an aspiring writer. Either in quotes, blog posts, websites or communities.

1.  Just Write. -  Simple as it sounds, this actually is the hardest part sometimes.  Don't think too hard, don't worry too much, just write.

2.  Tell that internal editor to Shut It!  -  Easier said than done, I know.  But when I can finally escape my harsh internal editor, my words flow, the emotions gain more depth, and my writing actually gets better.  Who'd a thunk it?  ;)

3.  Follow your gut.  -  This can apply to any stage of writing.  If your gut is saying the scene you're writing isn't working, well, it probably isn't.

4.  Get another set of eyes.  -  Critique partners, beta readers, alpha readers -- whatever you want to call them, get one (or a few).  Someone to read your words and help you make them better.  That's absolutely invaluable.  

5.  Write another book.  -  It speaks for itself.  Don't give up, write another book.  Stressing over waiting?  Write another book.  You get the picture.

What about you guys?  What are the five best bits of advice you've gotten?

On another note, I wanted to let you know I'm taking next week off from the blog.  I'll still have my Tuesday post over on Paper Hangover, but I'm in need of a break.  We'll just consider it my Happy Mother's Day present to myself.  ;)  

I'll be back the 16th bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, promise! 

Friday Fives -- Cover Lust

So, this week's topic on Paper Hangover's Friday Fives is: FIVE book covers you're currently lusting over. 

Oooh, I love this topic.  :D   My five:

 

 

They all give that same kind of feeling.  Dark, but beautiful.  Relatively simple designs that speak volumes about the stories between the covers.

Love.  Love, love, love.  I hope one day I get a cover as beautiful as these.  *dreams*  *sighs*  ;)

What about you?  What covers are you lusting over?

Friday Fives -- Fictionalized

Don't have a topic to blog about on Fridays? Join us for Paper Hangover's Friday Fives. 

I think about this a lot, and I'm willing to bet we all do as writers.  So, without further ado...

1.) I'd like to see more kick-butt heroines.  I know that in the real world a lot of girls (young ones especially) do just let people run them over.  Hey, I've been there, I've had my slice of that pie.  But it's because I've been there that I want to see the opposite in my books.  Books, to me, are inspiring -- they make me dream bigger and wider and farther than I ever would have before.

2.) I'd love to see more fantasy, but not necessarily epic fantasy. I really love losing myself in a world with new rules and adventures.  *cough*harrypotter*cough*  My favorite fantasies are based in and around the real world, they just add something more to it.

3.)  For this one, I'll reveal a deep, dark secret -- Westerns.  I was raised around horses, on farms, with fields of peanuts and groves of pecan trees on either side.  (And Super Spawn wound up with a pecan allergy! *cries*)  But I would LOVE to see some YA Westerns on the shelves.  A little less love, a lot more action.  And I may or may not be working on one... ;)

4.)  Action, action, ACTION!  Explosions?  YES.  Hand to hand combat?  PLEASE!  Just give me something with some boy appeal!  I want that kick-butt hero(ine) to really take it to the next level -- put my butt on the edge of my seat and KEEP IT THERE!

5.) Above all, I want something different.  I know that's a tall order, but I feel like the shelves (YA shelves, that is) are overrun by apocalypse, dystopians, and paranormals.  Give me something funny, give me a new time period, give me a new experience!!  No matter what genre it sits in, I want to see something fresh.

What about you guys?  What are five things you'd like to see in fiction?

Friday Fives - The grass is greener...

Well, it's time for another prompt from my Paper Hangover peeps.  Every week we give a prompt for you to post on your blog.  Then link up in the Paper Hangover post so we can all visit and see what you have to say!

This is really fun to think about!

First, I think I'd trade with Hermione Granger.  I wouldn't want to be Harry because, let's face it, his life kinda sucks.  I mean, he's got Voldy chasing after him, no parents, the WORST guardians ever...the grass doesn't look so green there.  lol  But as Hermione I think I'd get the ultimate HPWorld experience.  Complete with loads of books and excellent magical skills.  WIN.

Second, since we're only talking for a day, I'd pick someone like Elizabeth Bennett.  I mean, I wouldn't want to live without our modern creature comforts for long, but I'd LOVE to experience that time frame.

(This is harder than I thought!  lol)

Third, maybe I'd go for someone like Buttercup from THE PRINCESS BRIDE.  Because it's
pretty much my all time favorite story ever.  Ever.  And I'd love to hear Westley say, "As you wish."  *swoon*

Fourth, I think I'd opt for a little more daring experience.  Maybe I'd go for being someone like Katsa from GRACELING.  Beating up on Po would certainly be a stress reducer, I think.  ;)

Fifth, I'd have to reserve for an experience like no other.  A book that was a favorite of mine as a teen... Morgaine from THE MISTS OF AVALON.  All the myth and legend that surrounds that time period absolutely enthralls me.  I can't get enough of it, so I'd have to choose to visit it for a day.  :)

What about you all?  What characters would you trade places with for a day?